Obscure Bands: Spasmodic

I recently received an order from Relapse Records which had a freebie thrown in: a copy of Swedish band Spasmodic's debut EP Carve Perfection (Emrinc 2010), normally $5 on Relapse's web store. Free music = free publicity, so here we go.

The band's performance is energetic and full of conviction, and the recording quality is excellent. Their sound is heavy, fast death metal, with distinct grindcore influence. The songs which are credited as being written by the band are pretty straightforward (but high quality) examples of the genre, if not terribly memorable. But "Snip Snip Sweetheart", credited to another writer, is way too punk-influenced for my taste.

Overall, they sound a hell of a lot like Misery Index. Since that's a Relapse artist, and grind is a bit of a Relapse specialty, they're probably promoting in the right place.



I can't comprehend wanting to spend $5 on a 4-song EP where all the songs are under 3 minutes, especially when 99 cents per song is the going rate on many music download sites. But money aside, it's still a good introduction to the world from an unknown band. If they can develop a bit more identity, they'll do much better. I give Carve Perfection 3 out of 5 stars.